Missionary Society of St. Columban

Risk & Reward

The dangers of Catholic mission work in China are real, but so are the blessings.

By Alito B. De Los Santos

The Missionary Society of St. Columban started in China, so I believe it will always be a part of Columban mission.

As a Columban seminarian from the Philippines, my first mission assignment (called an FMA) in China affirmed my preconception that China is a difficult place to conduct Catholic missionary work. In addition to the language difficulties, there is very little freedom of movement in the Chinese Church. The government’s continuing efforts to control the Church and the society in general restrict our efforts in China. We must practice discretion at all times, even when working on projects that will dramatically improve the lives of the local people.

On one occasion, local authorities took all of our passports as we attended Fr. Thomas Yu’s 50th anniversary of ordination in Nancheng. A Columban Sister also was interrogated for several hours. Recently, in the local seminary in Wuchang, two dedicated priests were asked to leave their posts as teachers mainly because they tried to make changes in the seminary.

Despite these challenges, I see signs of hope in the Chinese Church. In Wuchang Church, where I am a parishioner, I have observed a good number of active Chinese Catholic youths. Many of them are university students coming from other parts of China who brought their faith with them to Wuhan. Usually, they invite their classmates to come with them to the Church. Amazingly, they are allowed to have regular meetings and Bible study sessions each week.

Foreign students—mostly Indians, Africans and Americans—also are doing wonderful work at Wuchang Church. They started the Sunday English Mass in which Andrei Paz (another FMA student) and I are now assisting. The number of people attending the Mass, including several Catholic and non-Catholic Chinese, has grown significantly in recent months.

The foreign students organize activities, such as Christmas and Easter gatherings, which both Chinese and foreigners greatly enjoyed. They also are engaged in social activities like providing toys for children in a homeless shelter and blankets for elderly people in Wuchang. Recently, they raised money for earthquake victims in Sichuan.

Many older Catholics in Wuchang play an important role in the Church. They remained faithful to the Holy Father after the political upheaval in China in the 1950s. To me, they are symbols of reconciliation between the two divided communities within the Chinese Church, the official “Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association” and the unofficial “underground” communities.

Although these people attend Catholic Association churches, their loyalty is to the pope and not to the institution established by the government to supervise the Church. Providentially, many of them became our friends and facilitated our ministries in Wuhan. They are enthusiastic in encouraging their friends to accompany them to Church. They are responsible for the baptism of more than 40 people during the Easter vigils of 2007 and 2008.

A Flurry Of Activity

Non-Catholics also attend the Mass and participate in some Church activities in Wuchang because they like the warm welcome they receive. Many parishioners were willing to spend time with our visitors, resulting in many becoming Catholics at Easter.

The active participation of foreign and local Catholics is also visible in Guangzhou and surrounding areas: Sisters, seminarians and lay catechists teach summer catechism classes to children, and the Sisters help prepare adults for baptism. Like in Wuchang, foreign parishioners (Filipinos and Africans) have started an English Sunday Mass in Guangzhou attended by large congregations.

Another activity started by foreigner parishioners is regular Bible study for Chinese. Surprisingly, two African merchants, with the help of a translator, lead these meetings. The Filipinos, on the other hand, have introduced “Couples for Christ” in Guangzhou. They also invite local parishioners for their activities. Furthermore, there is a regular prayer meeting among African charismatics and a Korean Mass once a week for Koreans in the parish.

Clearly, the Chinese Church is alive, well and changing to accommodate the needs of her people. Despite the limitations, the Church is able to continue to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel.